Neil Aspin wants to include Anton Forrester in his plans so is keeping his fingers crossed the striker is over his injury problems.

The Port Vale manager watched Forrester play 80 minutes for the reserves in their 3-1 win at York City as the 23 year old steps up his recovery after a thigh injury.

Forrester’s only first-team appearance this season was in the 4-1 Carabao Cup defeat at Leeds in August, although his performance that night showed Vale could have a talented player on their hands, if fit.

He has only started 15 games for the club since signing at the start of last season, but Aspin doesn’t want to write off a striker who looks to have ability.

The manager said: “We hope now he can have a clean bill of health and show what he is capable of doing.

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“I think anybody who can score goals at the level we are at is going to be a big plus because – if you look through the records of every player we have got – we don’t have many who have scored in the Football League.

“Anton is one who has potential and he is yet to fulfil that but, if he is going to fulfil that, let’s hope it is going to be now.”

Port Vale striker Anton Forrester

If Forrester doesn’t make the squad for tomorrow's FA Cup home game with Oxford, it seems he could feature in the Checkatrade Trophy game at home to Crewe on Tuesday.

For now though, the Valiants are focusing on the Oxford game as they attempt to make the second round and collect the £18,000 in FA prize money on offer to the first-round winners.

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Vale don’t have an easy task against League One Oxford but could do it if they match the performances they showed in the successive wins over Cheltenham, Morecambe and Exeter before the disappointment of last weekend’s 3-0 defeat at home to Swindon.

Oxford will have a local lad in their starting line up. Their 24-year-old central defender Curtis Nelson is from Newcastle, attended Clayton Hall College, and is the cousin of Team GB sprinters Alex and Ashleigh Nelson, from Birches Head.